Railroad-gate.



W. A. ILEMING @L B. ANDERSON.

RAILROAD GATE. APPLICATION FILED Nov. 27, 1911.

' 1,034,701. Patented Aug. 6,1912.

ATE'I FFIQ.

RAILROAD-GATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led November 27, 1911.

Patented Aug. 6, 1912. Serial No. 662,562.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that we, WYATT A. FLEM- ING and BYRON ANDERSON, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Adkins, in the county of'Bexar and Stateof Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inRailroad-Gates, of which the following' is a specification.

Our invention relates to new and useful improvements in automaticrailwayv gates. Its object is to provide a railway gate adapted to becorrelated with two tracks at their intersection, and adapted to beautomatically swung into a position transverse with one of said trackswhen a train approaches along the other.

Another object is to provide a mechanism for operating the gate bytriggers normally projecting slightly above the rail, one of whichtriggers will be pressed down by the wheels of a train approaching thecrossing from any direction.

Finally the object of our invention is to provide a device of thecharacter described that will be strong, durable, simple, and efficientand comparatively easy to construct, and also one the various parts ofwhich will not be likely to get out of working order.

l/Vith these and various other objects in view, our invention hasrelation to certain novel features of the construction and operation, anexample 0f which is described in the following specification andillustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure l is a plan viewof a railroad crossing, showing the herein described automatic gateassociated therewith. Fig. 2 is a view of the saine in side elevation, apair of car wheels being shown acting upon one of the triggers, causingthe gate to assume a position parallel with the track upon which saidwheels are mounted. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a constructioncomprising the gate support and a mechanism correlated with thegate toswing the same through 90 degrees. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective viewshowing one of the operating triggers, which are employed to swing thegate when a train approaches the same.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, wherein like numerals ofreference designate similar parts in all the figures the numerals l and2 respectively denote two tracks intersecting each other at rightangles, the gate constituting the present invention being correlatedwith the crossing thus formed. The gate proper consists of a horizontalbar 3, pivoted near one of its extremities upon the top of a post 4, andadapted to be swung through a quarter circle, the gate being transverseof the tracks in its limiting positions.v The post 4 is stationary andrigid and is spaced a sufficient distance from both tracks to eliminateany possibility of its being struck by passing trains. In order todecrease the friction between the gate and its pivot when the former isswung, a brace 5 is furnished as an additional supporting means for thegate, said brace preferably having the form of a quarter circle with oneextremity attached to the bar 3 some distance from its pivot and theother extremity supported by a pin 6, projecting from the middle portionof the post and turned upwardly. The connections between the brace 5 andthe parts 3 and 4 will be sutliciently loose to permit the gate to swingfreely between its limiting positions transverse of the two tracks. Thegate will preferably be mounted at an elevation several feet above thetracks and will have a length such that its extremity will project ashort distance beyond the tracks in the limiting positions. When thegate is being swung in either direction, it will contact with a verticalpost 7 upon reaching its limiting position transverse of the track to beclosed by the gate. Each post 7 is reinforced by an inclined brace 8,upon the side opposite to that with which the bar 3 contacts. The directmeans by which the gate is swung consists in a semi-circular plate 9pivotally mounted upon the upper portion of the post 4, its pivotal axisbeing such as to form 45 degree angles with the directions of the twotracks. From the middle portion of the curved edge of this plate twopins l() project engaging the bar 3 at each side thereof. Owing to thisconstruction it is apparent that a swinging motion of the gate about itsvertical pivot will result when the plate 9 is subjected to any rotationabout its horizontal axis. The plate 9 and the bar 3 are so related thatwhen the diametrical edge of the former is in a horizontal position, thelatter will be midway between its limiting positions, or will form a 45degree angle with both tracks.

`A description will now be given of the mechanism employed to subjectthe plate 9 to a partial rotation, when a api-i 11 is provided with a Ushaped crank 13, v

and each crank is connected through a pitman 14 with the plate 9, thepitmen being attached to said plate adjacent to the inter-4 sections ofits circular and straight edges.

The two extremities of each rock shaft 11 are provided wit-h parallelcrank arms 15, each of which arms has pivotal connection with a lug 16provided upon the free extremity of a trigger 17, pivoted adjacent tothe rail. The relation between the various gart-s of the mechanism issuch thatl the triggers adjacent to the rail of either track willproject slightly above the ball of said rail:

when the bar 3 is transverse with the track of which said rail forms apart. Thus when a train approaches a crossing from any dil rection itwill automatically throw the vgate* clear of its track, through thepressure of' its wheels upon one of the triggers 17, causing the gate tooccupy a position transverse of the other track, thus signaling anytrain approaching upon the other track to stop.

Inv case two trains are approaching the crossing upon different tracks,this device very much reduces the possibility of a collision betweensaid trains by automatically signaling one of them to stop or slow upiin-- til the other passes. The rook shaft 11 may ybe su'liicientlyextended in both directions to produce an operation of the gate one ortwo minutes before the train reaches the 4 crossing so that any trainapproachingv l upon the other track will have time to slow up ifnecessary. For the sake of clearnessno boxing has been shown topartially inclose the triggers, but itis to be understood thatsuch maybe employed. to prevent stones or other impediments preventing thetriggers from operating.

lt is apparent that various changes and modifications may be made in theabove described device without departing from the spirit or sacrificingthe advantages thereof, and the invent-ion is therefore presented asincluding all such changes and vmodifications as come within the scopeof the following claim.

What we claim is An automatic railway gate comprising av horizontal barcorrelated' with a railway crossing andI spaced above the same, said barbeing adapted to swing through a yquarter circle and being transverse ofthe tracks in 'its limiting position, a semieircular plate pivotallymounted beneath saidy lbai' adjacent' to the pivoted end thereof, and,having its axis form-ing angles of 45 degrees :with the directions ofthe tracks, pins pro- ,vided upon the circular edge of said plate Aatthe middle portion thereof adapted to `;engage the bar respectively atits two sides; a rock shaft mounted adjacent to-each track .of thecrossing; a U shapedI crank in each shaft substantially beneath saidplate; a pair of pitmen having their lower ends atltached to said cranksand their upper ends l attached tosaid plate at the intersectionsof itscircular and diametrical edges, crank ,arms carried by the extremitiesof the rock ishafts, and pivoted triggers hav-ing their free endsengaged by said crank arms each Elocated adjacent to a track rail andprojecting above the ball of said rail when the gate is transverse oftheltrack of which said rail 'forms a part.

ln testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

VYATT A. FLEMING.. BYRON ANDERSON.

l/Vit-nesses:

STANLEY Piizirrsznwsiri, Jon Pnzrxsziiwsxr, J r.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of`IPatents, Washington, D. C.

